Theron Guard
The Theron Guard represents the elite of the Locust, head-and-shoulders above the lowly Drones in terms of equipment, intelligence, and training. They are elite Locust, assigned to commando-style raids against high-profile targets and high-level defensive missions that require the sort of precision the Therons possess. If the Drones and Boomers represent the Locust military's hammer and anvil, then the Theron Guard is most decidedly its scalpel. Therons are easily recognized from other Locust - they wear heavy body armor that covers more of the upper body than drone armor and a long, leather-like strip of material hanging from the back of the waist that trails behind them as they move and gives the impression of a trench coat combined with armor. Many wear distinctive-looking helmets as well, often heavily embellished. Theron Armor is chased with bright red flecks, presumably to give them a more-imposing appearance. Their voices are sibilant and with a definitive, whispering hiss, giving them a distinctly menacing presence. Though it is more intimidating, the hissing and whispering can be a big give away to the opponent of your position. Higher-ranked Therons are called Theron Sentinels and serve as sergeants in Theron Guard force groups. Theron sentinels are slightly taller, wear a slightly deeper shade of red armor, and have a round helmet with no visible eye slits. The differences in visible appearances are minimal and easily overlooked in the heat of combat, but so are their stat upgrades so don't fret about it. Therons usually operate in small squads, led by a Theron Sentinel that serves as a Sergeant, though this is not always the case. They clearly out-rank both Drones and Boomers, and can be seen ordering both Locust subspecies around - in several scenarios you can encounter a single standard Theron leading a squad of Drones. They can also be found making use of Bloodmounts and Reavers. As elites, Therons are more powerful, accurate, and better-armored than their contemporaries - and they are invariably better armed as well, making them a significantly greater threat than the rank-and-file Locust. Most Therons use the Torque Bow as their weapon of choice. Because of this, they are a deadly threat capable of instantly killing an unprepared Gear from a considerable distance. They also make use of the Lancer Assault Rifle, Hammerburst Assault Rifle, and Gnasher Shotgun, as well as the Boltok Pistol. Unlike Drones, Therons are smart enough to make use of dropped weapons - so if an allied Locust dies in their presence, they may raid their corpses for weapons or ammo (so if you were to drop a Grenadier with a Theron around, watch for the Theron picking up and utilizing the fallen Grenadier's Bolo Grenades or Shotgun, and so on). As elites, Therons make extensive use of cover and ambushes, and are smart enough to know when a battle is turning against them. Expect them to flee rather than die if they take too much damage, and for other Locust to aid the Theron if they become injured. They frequently send Drones and Grenadiers forward as cannon fodder and to force Gears out into the open, so they can cut them down piecemeal. They also often feign retreat, in order to lure enemies closer and into pre-set firing lines - be aware of their tricks and don't be fooled. Notable Appearances Therons, as stated before, are first introduced guarding the Imulsion pumping facility as Delta Squad is moving in to detonate the Sonic Resonator in Gears of War 1. The facility has the largest group of Therons in one area (since they are being introduced there), but other Therons do appear several times in later chapters of the game. They are everywhere in Act 4 and appear numerous times again in Train Wreck on board the Tyro Pillar, guarding the Lightmass Bomb - the ones on the Tyro Pillar are presumably members of RAAM's personal guard - almost all Therons encountered in Train Wreck are Sentinels. Therons have randomized helmets; if you reload your save and head through an area, you'll see that the helmets actually change somewhat. The most bad ass locusts ever. The have the ability to kill just by looking at you. Its said the only person to kill one was chuck norris. Game Strategies Approaching a Theron Guard in battle is not something to take lightly, unless playing in Casual. Always use cover and never run at it unless it's too close to disengage or close enough that a few steps will bring it within Chainsaw range. The Theron Guard's Torque Bow can devastate its enemies, so be sure to look for the glowing orange light near a Guard's head. Use Frag Grenades to flush it out of cover. If possible, aim for it with the Lancer Assault Rifle in the head until the arrow glows orange, then duck back into cover. Allies should provide adequate cover fire for you to move into a flanking position. If they can't, maintain a safe distance and use the Torque Bow or Longshot to put down the foe from afar, but beware the Torque Bow arrows! Look for the orange, glowing arrow head, which indicates a Theron Guard is about to fire in your direction, and the telltale hiss of "Sssssuffer". They can also be heard saying "Succccesss", "Ussselesss" and "Mmmuuunition" and also at the beginning of an Act you see a Theron telling two Drones to "Ssssick Hhhhim". Duck for Cover immediately. If Marcus gets hit, all may not be lost. He might survive if he performs a roll while the arrow detonates. Just do what you would normally do to a foe: Keep pumping the enemy with lead until it's dead. The only time you should try a Chainsaw attack is while they are reloading their Torque Bows. During that time, the Therons are left completely vulnerable to any attack. Note that in the PC version of Gears of War, on insane, a last-ditch strategy if faced with a Theron Guard charging a Torque Bow is to chainsaw him - this will cause him to fire the arrow, but instead of killing you, it will merely inflict heavy damage. Beware, and only use this tactic if no other enemies are present. Palace Guard Palace Guards are a new class of Theron Guard introduced in Gears of War 2. They were first seen in the "Enter the Horde" ViDoc, where they were described as "a crazy, mental, much more bad-ass Theron." They wear ornate helmets,and a brighter, more intense variant of the traditional Theron armor making them "highly visible, but highly deadly." They have been seen riding the new Bloodmounts, which they use as battle-mounts while wielding a Torque Bow. In the Campaign of Gears 2, most Palace Guards wield Torque Bows while some others wield Hammerbursts. They can also revive each other very quickly in campaign mode. Trivia *In the Gears of War 2's DLC expansion and map pack, Gears of War 2: Dark Corners, Marcus and Dom clad themselves in Theron Guard armor. Category:Locust Horde